• Adobe After Effects Expressions

  Complex math – Lorenz attractor possible with expressions?

  Posted by Ty Volta on January 2, 2011 at 5:24 pm

  Hello folks!
  Fairly experienced with expressions but have recently been doing some research into creating complex patterns with odd bits of maths and suddenly had a hankering to do the same kind of thing in AE.
  First idea was to do something along the lines of a Lorenz attractor –

  There’s a link here with a little source code as well…

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorenz_attractor

  I figure the best way to do it would be to use particular with a light emitter and get the light to follow the appropriate path.
  The thing I’m not sure of is if AE will handle the kind of math necessary and exactly how to “plug in” the formula to the expression.
  If not I’m wondering if there’s a way to generate the 3d path in a seperate package and import the data as some sort of motion path?
  If possible I’d rather try and generate the path thru expressions as it would be cool to be able to evolve the system over time and run the camera around it in 3D.

  Any help, comments, idea or colourful abuse would be most appreciated.
  Cheers!
  Ty.

  Sarah Schela replied 10 years, 6 months ago 4 Members · 3 Replies
• 3 Replies

• 

  Todd Kopriva

  January 2, 2011 at 10:49 pm

  If I wanted to create that sort of image programmatically, I’d probably turn to writing my own plug-in, rather than using expressions. Specifically, I’d use Pixel Bender.

  Here’s a page that introduces Pixel Bender and also links to some nifty fractal-generating effects for After Effects written by Tom Beddard. They should get you going in the right direction.

  I’m not saying that using expressions and programmatically creating motion paths for a particle effect is a bad idea. It’s just not where I would go first.

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• 

  Chris Wright

  January 3, 2011 at 8:38 am

  if you’re experienced with java as you said, here’s it 99% finished.
  click on java source code

  java animation
  https://terpconnect.umd.edu/~petersd/lorenz.html

  java code
  http:/www.wam.umd.edu/~petersd/Lorenz2.java

  seems pretty easy to port to AE.

  https://technicolorsoftware.hostzi.com/
• 

  Sarah Schela

  October 30, 2015 at 12:52 pm

  Hi! just wondered, I put the Java script into the script editor and saved it, but there is an error occurring in line 1 I can not figure out. Anyone who can give me any advice?

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